Shohei Ohtani He was staring at his phone when I approached him in front of his locker after the Dodgers' 7-3 loss to the New York Mets on Monday at Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.
He looked up.
We were alone as the other reporters were in other parts of the club interviewing other players.
I thought readers of this publication would want to hear what its star had to say after being shut down in a loss that tied the series to three wins in each game, but Oh-fer-tani didn't want to comment.
“I don't know what other media will think,” he said in Japanese.
“It's okay,” I assured him.
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Ohtani called one of the team's public relations managers, as if asking for permission to do an interview. The official informed me that Ohtani would not speak.
I told Ohtani that I would like to hear it directly from him. Like any other player, Ohtani has the right to refuse to be interviewed after the match. Just because he doesn't want to appear uncooperative, he shouldn't put that burden on the escort who actually has no control over what he says and does.
Ohtani shrugged. He flashed that boyish smile that made him the most beloved athlete on the market. He didn't say anything and left.
Well, I guess it's better than him doing Lincoln Riley and defensively saying, “Nobody takes on more responsibility than me,” but Ohtani sure seemed spoiled, didn't he?
I generally refrained from talking to Ohtani outside of team-organized scrums, but Ohtani's three at-bats against Mets starter Sean Manaei were probably his three worst of the entire postseason:
Strikeout in the first round.
Another strike in the third half, this time on three pitches.
Weak pop up to first base in the fifth.
That's one thing that could make San Diego Padres starter Yu Davis look confused like Ohtani did in the NL Division Series. It's another loss for Padres left-hander Tanner Scott, against whom Ohtani was 0 for 4 in the NLDS. It's another thing to look completely helpless against Manaea, who doesn't have Darvish's variety of strikes or Scott's high-90s fastball.
Ohtani never seemed to mentally recover from taking several Manaei sweepers in his first at-bat. He started looking for a pitch in his second at-bat, which is probably why he struck out three pitches, all of which were strikeable fastballs. After the third strike, Ohtani desperately tried to make contact and sent a second-pitch sweeper to first base.
“I thought he wasn't comfortable against Manaea,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Manaea left the game in the sixth inning, but the Mets continued to neutralize Ohtani by not throwing to him. Ohtani went through in the seventh and again in the ninth.
Thanks to three no-hitters, Ohtani is now 0-for-19 in the playoffs when the bases are empty. He has six of eight positions with at least one runner. Overall, he's batting .222 in the postseason.
In Ohtani's defense, pitchers are under less pressure to throw strikes when there is no movement in the bases. The opponent's defense is also different.
But numbers are numbers, and Ohtani's numbers are unacceptable for a starting offense. The role requires him to get to base.
Nevertheless, Roberts said he wasn't thinking about moving Ohtani down the order.
“I just don't want to be too reactive,” Roberts said. “I just don't see the benefit. We just have to make sure our guys are swinging the bat well. And honestly, I want Shohei to get five shots a game. I think he's our best hitter.”
Ohtani needs to start playing like that again. He doesn't necessarily have to hit for the Dodgers to win, but they certainly have a better chance of winning when he hits. The Dodgers won four postseason games, with Ohtani scoring in three of them.
Read more: Plaschke: Mets give nasty surprise to any Dodgers hopes heading into the NLCS
The series will move from Dodger Stadium to Citi Field in New York for the next three games. The Mets will start Game 3 with a right-hander in Luis Severino, and that alone could make Ohtani as dangerous again as he was in Game 1 when he was two-to-four, with two runs scored and one single.
On the other hand, if the Dodgers are going to win the World Series, Ohtani is going to have to hit Ohtani's so-called shortstop at some point. He may have to get on base not to run, but to be able to score. Mookie Or Freddie Freeman Or Teoscar Hernandez bets are on the plate.
Because just as Ohtani leaves, so do the Dodgers.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
